Thursday, December 06, 2007

Detective's MP3 Blunder Catches NYPD Red-Handed

I think the culturegeist is served by justice and fair enforcement of the laws. One of the most difficult issues about race in America relates to the glaring inequities in a legal system that disproportionately treats defendants of color differently.

Charges of excessive use of force or illegal tactics used by some members of the NYPD against black or Hispanic defendants in the arrest or interrogation phase are frequently dismissed as concocted accusations of racism. But tonight on the 11pm Channel 7 Eyewitness News broadcast an "Exclusive Report" aired about a bombshell revelation in a Bronx court.

An NYPD officer identified as Detective Christopher Perino has perjured himself in a court case after the defendant, Erik Crespo who was 17 at the time, revealed in court that he had an MP3 recording of the interrogation in which the detective clearly threatens to prevent the defendant from seeing a judge in an effort to coerce a confession about a gun apparently used in a shooting in an elevator on Christmas Day, 2005.

The recording was revealed by the defense only after Detective Perino testified falsely under oath that he had neither questioned the then-17 year-old alone repeatedly about the gun in question. Once the tape was revealed, the prosecution immediately tried to cut a deal with the defense according to defense attorney Mark DeMarco.

Details are hard to find online as I write this as the story doesn't appear to be on their 7 Online Website at the moment but I'm curious why Channel 7 presented it as an "Exclusive" as the story appeared in this morning's New York Post?

Maybe because the story is buried in an article on the bottom left-hand side of page 29 - an article about the plight of recently deceased hotel "Queen of Mean" Leona Helmsley's dog Trouble takes up 3/4 of page 19.

Democratic New York Senator Chuck Schumer

"I don't understand why I can still go in a store and buy a weapon of war, an A-R. How is it that easy to buy this type of weapon? How do we not stop this after Columbine, after Sandy Hook? I'm sitting with a mother who lost her son. It's still happening."

GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA 2018

1,859 Deaths, 30 Mass Shootings

"Society as a whole has a fear of addressing our worst secrets. (Just ask any African-American citizen). It's as if we have a societal blindspot that creates an obstacle to understanding. Society as a whole doesn't acknowledge the reality of abuse."